Buying parking passes online is an inconvience

Other than the run of the mill issues we all have with parking, the implementation of buying parking passes strictly online ends up being more of an inconvenience than a service.

I went in to their office to discover why this new policy was put in place, but even after two separate visits and questioning, I couldn’t get a clear answer.

When asked about his experience with Parking Services, student Mario Orellana said, “They need to step up their game. They have one job, hand out parking passes.”

Though their workers are nicer than the ones at the DMV, hardly any student is happy when they need to go to either place.

With parking passes costing $102 a quarter, students are paying for permits that fail to get mailed to us as promised.

Students receive a free ten day temporary pass while they are waiting for their permanent pass to be mailed, but what if that never happens?

“I had to request for my pass two or three times and eventually it came in the mail and I had to remind them,” said Orellana.

Passes aren’t the only things that are annoying. I do not know how many hours I have spent over the course of the year trying to find a parking spot on campus and apparently students are not the only ones struggling.

“My schedule’s always late because I teach for the graduate program which is at night, but pretty much from 10 [A.M] on, [the lot] can be pretty full,” said faculty member Mary Boland.

The pressure of the clock ticking closer to class, students still without a spot, can be frustrating and lead to speeding. This could create a tense environment for all. According to slideshare.net feeling rushed is one of the biggest reasons for road rage.

Then there is the problem of walking to your car at the end of the day.

People are so hungry for a parking spot it as if people are watching you with owl eyes hoping to steal your spot as you leave.

“Like everybody else, I sometimes have to troll until somebody leaves,” said Boland.

Now, some will say that there are parking structures available, but that can still lead to students and faculty being late to their scheduled classes. Parking there is especially troublesome if they have class on the South end of campus.

“The parking structures help a lot if you have classes to the north [of campus], but if you’re down in the classes on the south it’s a pain,” said student Jordan Yarbrough.

A student must also know of the parking structure in order to park there. They are so secluded and not down the main road. Unless told by another student, some may not even know the structures exist.

In the mix of trying to make things easier Parking Services has made things harder.